Enteric delivery of active materials in food delivery applications has been limited. Enteric delivery systems are commonly utilized when the active materials or medicaments are known to be sensitive to low pH or have undesirable flavor and/or taste characteristics which cannot be effectively masked by other methods. Generally, enteric delivery is accomplished using coated tablets and gel capsules. However, those particular delivery methods are not well suited for food applications. In particular, neither tablets nor capsules are sized to be integrated into most existing food products.
An alternative process for enteric delivery is microencapsulation. Enteric microencapsulation is generally performed using specialized equipment or in an environment including organic solvents. These methods require additional capital expenditures and the use of additional materials, such as the organic solvents, which may or may not be usable in subsequent microencapsulation cycles. As a result, the process of microencapsulation requires investments in both equipment and organic solvent procurement and disposal.